On September 21, we will commemorate the 52nd anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law.
I always look forward to September 21 (or, more properly, September 23) because it’s as good a time as any for our society to talk about the dictatorship of Ferdinand E. Marcos (1972-1986). In past years, the economy during Martial Law has become a major research interest of mine.
This year’s remembrance is extra special because I’m now teaching at the UP School of Economics, for the first time, a course called Econ 118 – “Special topics in economic history: The Philippine economy in the 1970s and 1980s.” That’s a mouthful, but essentially it’s all about Martial Law economics.
It was UPSE Professor Emeritus Emmanuel “Noel” de Dios, one of my former professors and also a member of my PhD dissertation committee, who first taught this course before the pandemic. I was in fact one of his teaching assistants when he taught it in the First Semester of Academic Year 2017-2018. The other teaching assistant was Miharu Kimwell, also a PhD candidate then.
At that time, I was only starting my research into all things Martial Law. Co-teaching the course in 2017 was extremely revelatory for me. I knew the Marcosian economy was ruined, especially in the early 1980s, but I didn’t know it was that bad. My understanding of that episode of Philippine economic history deepened immensely that semester.
Seven years later, I would be the one teaching the course as the sole instructor, with my book, False Nostalgia, being one of the required readings of the course. I have 64 students in total, and at least 40 more wanted to take the class, but I can no longer accommodate (the original plan was to have just 40 students).
On the one hand, that may not necessarily mean that students are genuinely interested: UPSE students are now required to take at least one economic history course (a win in itself). The last time Prof. De Dios taught Martial Law economics was two years ago, around the time of the 2022 elections which Marcos Jr. won by a landslide. (Read here Sir Noel’s moving letter to his students at that time.) What I’m saying is that the desire to take the course may stem from the desire not to be delayed.
But I’m happy to be proven wrong. So far, so good! My students do seem genuinely interested, and that pleases me a lot.
Broad sweep of history
You’d be surprised to know that there’s enough material about Martial Law economics to last an entire semester. But for the students to truly appreciate the economic situation in the Marcos years, we had to go back in time and review key events in Philippine history, too — from the Philippine revolution in 1896, the early years of American colonial rule, all the way to 1965 when Marcos first won the presidency.
Throughout, we paid close attention not just to the evolution of the Philippine economy, but also to the evolution of economic ideas and policies, the people who pushed those ideas and policies, and the incentives those people faced.
In the past week, we only just finished discussing the trade and industrial policies in the post-war era, the elder Marcos’ first term as president (1965-1969), the “guns, goons, and gold” of the 1969 elections, and the run-up to the declaration of Martial Law.
I also made them watch the documentary Batas Militar (1997) that’s free on YouTube. (In my undergrad years, I think I watched this exact same film in three different subjects. It’s still one of the best introductory films on Martial Law out there.)
One thing I’m really excited about is the fact that I have scheduled three guest speakers in my class — a Martial Law survivor, a technocrat, and a former member of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), the agency tasked to go after the Marcoses’ ill-gotten wealth. I think it’s a great mix of perspectives that will surely enlighten my students in the coming weeks.
The whitewashing continues
The goal of my course is to push students to learn about Martial Law economics objectively, and then form their own opinions about that period.
My class is a safe space: whatever previous beliefs or convictions they’ve held are irrelevant. But I just hope that after everything is said and done, they come to realize the essential truth that Martial Law was not the Philippines’ “golden age.”
More importantly, I hope they help others (their family, friends, neighbors, etc.) think critically about the myths and misconceptions surrounding Martial Law. This is a crucial task, because outside our classroom, the Marcosian mythmaking and whitewashing still continues.
On September 10, for example, the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU, named after Marcos Sr.’s father) organized a “President FEM Lecture Series 2024” where various academics of the university talked about the legacy of the former president. Lecture 1 was “Teaching Marcos to Gen Z”; lecture 2 was “Marcos as an Ilokano”; lecture 3 was “Marcos as a Futures Thinker.”
I watched snippets of it on Facebook, and it’s as bad as one would expect. At one point they were talking about the “golden age of infrastructure,” praising Marcos for his deeds. I could only stomach so much of it, because it was deeply unsettling for me to think that a state university would be the one propagating rather than suppressing the myths and lies. (Then again, their university was named after Ferdinand E. Marcos’ father — what did we expect?)
On Facebook, I’m glad to see that the MMSU students themselves pushed back. They said that the presentations in the lecture series were “whitewashed,” “one-sided,” and tantamount to “modern-day propaganda.” Others said that MMSU ought to “teach students about Marcos Senior’s dictatorship and human rights violations to emphasize the importance of not erasing history.”
Elsewhere, the Marcoses themselves are still propagating the lies.
On September 11, on the occasion of Marcos Sr.’s 107th birthday, the Marcos family trooped to Batac City, Ilocos Norte, the former resting place of the ex-president, for a wreath-laying ceremony (in truth, Marcos Sr. was born in Sarrat). In his speech, President Marcos Jr. praised his father and lauded him yet again, citing many imagined or exaggerated achievements.
Of course, the Marcos family will stop at nothing to preserve the mythical legacy of their patriarch. That’s the only thing they’ve got. Remove the purported legacy of the former dictator, and their power and influence will considerably crumble.
Rest assured, many Filipinos today are keeping the flame alive and working just as hard to make sure that the country never forgets the history of Martial Law. Efforts need to be ramped up, though, in and out of the classroom.
For instance, I hope that the lessons of the past are allotted more time in the basic education curriculum — not just a few weeks in select grade levels.
I also hope that the planned Freedom Memorial Museum will finally be erected in UP Diliman, after recent assurances coming from UP’s leadership.
A few days ago, it was announced that the Freedom Memorial Museum’s construction will (finally) begin in December. Crossing fingers! I dream that one day, kids, teens, and adults can visit the Museum freely, and that the Museum becomes a permanent hub for everyone to collectively never forget. – Rappler.com
JC Punongbayan, PhD is an assistant professor at the UP School of Economics and the author of False Nostalgia: The Marcos “Golden Age” Myths and How to Debunk Them. In 2024, he received The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Award for economics. Follow him on Instagram (@jcpunongbayan) and Usapang Econ Podcast.
